Sauber cleared to escape Massa penalty

Sauber have been given the all clear to replace Felipe Massa for the US
Grand Prix without penalty by the FIA. Massa was given the demotion
punishment after Monza, which meant he would start at Indianapolis ten
places further down the grid from...

Sauber have been given the all clear to replace Felipe Massa for the US
Grand Prix without penalty by the FIA. Massa was given the demotion
punishment after Monza, which meant he would start at Indianapolis ten
places further down the grid from his qualifying position. Sauber are
testing Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Silverstone tomorrow in the hope of
replacing Massa and escaping the penalty.

The FIA have confirmed the team is permitted to do this, as the grid
demotion was against Massa himself, not Sauber: "The sanction was taken
against the individual driver and not the team," a spokesman told Reuters.
"If the team wishes to impose what amounts to a race suspension on its
driver then that is a matter for the team."

Sauber are considering the action as it fears Massa's ten place set-back
will lose the team points in the Championship standings. The only problem
would appear to be Frentzen's height: the German is somewhat taller than
Massa and the decision for him to race depends on how comfortable he is in
the car. Frentzen replaces Massa full time in 2003.